by Dan Goldin (@paintingwithdan)
Leeds based trio Nape Neck play with the kind of tension that makes your head feel as though it might explode. One of the tighter and more caustic post-punk bands of this decade, they work in knots that opt to tangle further rather than come undone. It’s really something to behold, a band that has evolved punk into a sponge of brainy rhythmic experimentation. Earlier this year the band released a self-titled collection, pairing together both their first full length from 2020 and the Look Alive EP from 2022. It’s a wonderful place to start for anyone looking for a good rattling, and thankfully, they’re back for more with new album The Shallowest End due out on September 19th via Dot Dash Sounds (North America), Red Wig Records (Europe), and OCCII (Netherlands).
There’s a magical chaos to the trio’s music, as evident on the title track to their upcoming album, a song that moves with a locked in groove and a tidal wave of crashing no wave guitars. It really doesn’t take long for the song to spiral out of control, but the thing is, it just keeps spiraling deeper. For all the ramshackle art punk abandon, the band are very much in impeccable control, hyper focused as they convulse and reshape the deranged pulse of the song. It’s a work of art that’s as confounding as it is engaging, a truly delightful carnage that twitches in the face of stagnation.
Speaking about the new single, Bobby Glew (guitar/vocals) shared:
“‘The Shallowest End’ is a song portraying the masochism of modern life. Teenage faux pas split off and mutate into shameful meakness and dominatrix superiority whilst keeping up appearances under the shade of outwardly acceptable milestones.”